Vegetables in the Oven

Even though this dish uses only zucchini, my grandmother called it Verdure al Forno, which means “vegetables in the oven.” (So it should really be called Zucchine al Forno, but there was absolutely no way anybody would tell that to my grandmother.) You could substitute eggplant, summer squash, potatoes, or even cauliflower for the zucchini, and make this your very own vegetables in the oven.–Giada De Laurentiis

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with foil. Coat the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish with the oil.

2. Arrange enough of the zucchini slices over the bottom of the dish in a single layer to cover. Sprinkle with one third of the salt and pepper. Pour 1/3 cup of the heavy cream over the zucchini and sprinkle with 1/3 cup each of mozzarella cheese and Fontina cheese.

3. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Pecorino Romano cheese, then with 1/3 cup of breadcrumbs. Repeat layering the ingredients two more times. (The vegetables can be assembled 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

4. Place the baking dish on the baking sheet and bake the vegetables uncovered until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 40 minutes. Serve the vegetables immediately.

Testers Choice

This is one way to use all that zucchini coming out of the garden. The result is crisp tender zucchini, creamy cheese, flavorful baked heavy cream, and a crunchy breadcrumb topping. What’s not to like? I put the dish together and baked it right away, but I love the fact you could refrigerate it up to 8 hours ahead of time. It took mine 45 minutes to become bubbly. I can see why you need to line the pan with foil, but am completely lost as to why you need to place it on a foil lined baking sheet as mine was never close to the point of bubbling over. I was only able to fit 2 layers in the pan and not the 3 stated in the recipe, but my vegetables did come all the way to the top of the dish.

Have something to say?

Then tell us. Have a picture you'd like to add to your comment? Send it along. Covet one of those spiffy pictures of yourself to go along with your comment? Get a free Gravatar. And as always, please take a gander at our comment policy before posting.